(Weymouth, MA) March 2, 2005…According to InfoTrends/CAP Ventures, the combination of maturing technology, a growing interest in targeted personalized communications, and the emergence of service bureau enablers will drive variable data technology across the chasm and into the mainstream market. A new report entitled The Global Market for Variable Data Design and Production Software provides a straightforward look at the variable data and production software markets and forecasts future growth rates. Technology is no longer the limiting factor for the growth of one-to-one communications programs. Recent advances in digital print technology, including improvements in speed and quality of color printing; upgrades in efficiency and processing speeds of RIPs and document composition software; and the convergence of digital printing and Web technologies are bolstering the growth of variable data printing. In fact, according to a recent InfoTrends/CAP Ventures forecast, the variable data design, production, and automated composition applications market is expected to increase at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 15.9%, moving from $301 million in 2003 to just over $629 million in 2008. There is also a growing interest among document owners and print buyers to use more targeted personalized communications as part of their marketing mix. When document owners were asked about their current usage as well as future plans for variable data printing, respondents indicated that just under 30% of their total printing jobs were variable, with 43% expecting their variable printing to increase in the coming year. Inhibitors still remain though, despite the positive outlook. The need to coordinate the activities of multiple stakeholders in the value chain, including the document owner, creative personnel, database managers, and service providers is still a major barrier. InfoTrends/CAP Ventures believes the emergence of variable data service bureaus will help the market overcome this inhibitor. These specialized service bureaus will function as project managers coordinating the efforts of the multiple stakeholders. The research for the report draws on data from InfoTrends/CAP Ventures’ The Global Print Production Workflow Market and The New Corporate Print Customer multi-client studies. It provides a view of the global market size for variable data design and production as well as automated document composition software. Analysts evaluate market size in terms of revenue source, geography, and end-user environment, and provide a forecast for future growth. The report is a continuation of InfoTrends/CAP Ventures’ coverage of variable data printing. InfoTrends/CAP Ventures’ research report is available immediately to clients of the Production Workflow Solutions North American Service. For more information about the report or to make a purchase, please contact Alison Hipp at (781) 616-2100, ext. 125 or via e-mail at [email protected].